Art/ Collection/ Art Object
Search
{{img.publicCaption}}

Shirt of Mail and Plate

Date:
17th century
Geography:
Probably Vijayapur, Karnātaka
Culture:
Indian, Deccani, probably Vijayapur
Medium:
Steel, iron
Dimensions:
H. 35 5/8 in. (90.5 cm); laid out flat with sleeves extended W. 78 in. (198.1 cm); Wt. 25 lb. 10 oz. (11.61 kg)
Classification:
Armor for Man
Credit Line:
Purchase, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Gift, 2000
Accession Number:
2000.497
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 380
Mail shirts reinforced with steel or iron plates appear to have been developed first in Iran or Anatolia in the late fourteenth or early fifteenth century. Variations of mail-and-plate armor were worn subsequently throughout the Middle East by the Persians, Ottomans, and Mamluks. The style probably was introduced into India early in the Mughal period due to Ottoman influence on Mughal military practices.
The armor is part of a large group of material that comes from the armory of the maharajas of Bikaner in Rajastan, northern India. An inscription inside one of the plates gives the name of Maharaja Anup Singh (reigned 1669–98) and the date samvat 1774 (A.D. 1691). Anup Singh was a general in the armies of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and led a series of campaigns in the Deccan in the 1680s and 1690s, including battles at Golconda in 1687 and Adoni in 1689. The date on the armor indicates that it must have been taken as booty during one of the Deccan campaigns.
Ex. coll.: Bikaner armory, Rajastan, India.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arms and Armor: Notable Acquisitions 1991–2002," September 4, 2002–January 18, 2004, no. 37.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arms and Armor from the Islamic World," February 10, 2016–January 2, 2017.

Pyhrr, Stuart W., Donald J. La Rocca, and Morihiro Ogawa. Arms and Armor: Notable Acquisitions, 1991–2002. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2002. p. 41, no. 37, ill. (color).

Alexander, David, Stuart W. Pyhrr, and Will Kwiatkowski. Islamic Arms and Armor in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015. cat. no. 13, pp. 46-47, ill.



Timelines
South Asia, 1600–1800 A.D.

Arms and Armor: Notable Acquisitions, 1991–2002
Islamic Arms and Armor in The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Related Objects

Armor of Mail and Plate

Date: late 18th–first half of the 19th century Medium: Steel, iron, copper alloy, textile Accession: 36.25.11a–g On view in:Gallery 379

Dagger with Scabbard

Date: 1605–27 Medium: Steel, iron, gold, rubies, emeralds, glass, wood, textile Accession: 1984.332 On view in:Gallery 380

Shirt of Mail and Plate

Date: dated A.H. 1042/A.D. 1632–33 Medium: Steel, iron, gold, leather Accession: 2008.245 On view in:Gallery 379

Shirt of Mail and Plate

Date: 15th–16th century Medium: Steel, iron, copper alloy, gold, silver, leather Accession: 04.3.456b On view in:Gallery 379

Cuirass (Char Aina) with Mail Shirt

Date: cuirass, 17th century; mail shirt, 19th century Medium: Steel, gold, brass Accession: 36.25.18a–d, .22a On view in:Gallery 379
A curatorial staff member looks at an ink drawing using a magnifying lens

Who Cares for the Collection?

Learn more about the curatorial staff and the scientists and conservators who collaborate to study, exhibit, and care for the objects in The Met collection.

Connections

New Works to Discover

MetCollects celebrates works of art new to the Museum's collection through the fresh eyes of photographers and the enthusiastic voices of leading scholars and artists.

Drawing of a writer at his desk

The Met's Blogs

Read articles about the Museum's exhibitions, collection, and events written by hundreds of authors—including curators, conservators, librarians, digital professionals, and senior staff.

Book cover and selected pages from "The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Masterpiece Paintings"

The Met Store

Explore publications and products inspired by The Met collection, which spans 5,000 years of culture from around the world.